The Harvest and The Unswept Floor

Helen Bodycomb and René Schaefer
The Harvest and The Unswept Floor
2004
Hand-painted fused glass, travertine marble and un-glazed ceramic
Dimensions variable

In 1997, Helen Bodycomb and Enver Camdal were commissioned to create several murals for the Camberwell Fresh Food Market to improve the profile of the market.

The market has undergone numerous renovations since that time. In 2004, Helen Bodycomb was again commissioned to create two new mosaics using hand-painted glass recovered from the mosaics on the exterior wall of the market, which had been destroyed during renovations. With the assistance of René Schaefer, Helen created The Unswept Floor and The Harvest.

The Unswept Floor follows the genre of Roman mosaic known as Asaroton, first created by the Greek mosaicist artist Sosos in the 2nd century BC and made popular during Roman times. Items of food, typical of Camberwell Fresh Food Market produce are depicted here in a trompe l'oeil manner as if strewn across a floor.

The Harvest pays homage to the cultural practice of food gathering and to the historic style of Roman mosaic, typically found in North Africa, which includes this tessellated fan patterning.

Artwork location

These artworks are located inside the Camberwell Fresh Food Market at 519-523 Riversdale Road, Camberwell.